"Look Celine, we're going to Manasa, our farm. On Sunday, we'll visit our house in town for the Pahiyas."
When they reached the farm, Celine found, the flowers in bloom. They ate pancit habhab ( sautéed noodles with shrimp and fried pork ) and the rice pudding. She helped her grandma wash the dishes before they got ready to sleep.
In the morning, Grandma and Celine strolled in the farm. There were several animals and Celine fed some of the animals, hoping that she'll have one as her pet.
Near where the animals were kept was a plant she had seen for the first time. It had greenish-white flowers with big petals. "Lola Paz, what's that?" pointing to the flowers in bloom. "That's The Charming Doña Aurora, named after the wife of the late President Manuel L. Quezon. She's the picture of true Filipina," answered Lola Paz.
"Celine, let's go to the spring. We will pass by a garden planted with vegetables," Lola Paz said. Celine was surprised to see the vegetables garden but the spring was quite far. She smiled, remembering her mother, who mentioned that the distances between towns in the province were really far from each other but residents always claimed otherwise. Suddenly, Celine heard a tiny chirping sound. Celine sensed that there was pain and fear in it.
"TO BE CONTINUED"
